


Don't Forget the Blue Skies

by grace_lou_freebush



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Regency, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Post-War, Reincarnation, Song fic, Star-crossed, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-26 23:01:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30113361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grace_lou_freebush/pseuds/grace_lou_freebush
Summary: Draco Malfoy's been promised to another, but he meets with Hermione one last time.HP Pop Punk Fest 2021 - Day 17, The Space BetweenDraco opened his mouth to tell her he would hold tight to the memories, every moment they'd had together. But before he could utter his promise into existence, he wondered if perhaps some things were better left unsaid. Would it not cause only more heartache for them both to acknowledge that their love was not enough to withstand societal pressures?
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 5
Kudos: 53
Collections: HP Pop Punk Fest 2021





	Don't Forget the Blue Skies

**Author's Note:**

> A Regency Era AU for today's prompt! I did way too much research into Regency Fashion, and it probably shows lol.
> 
> HP Pop Punk Fest 2021 - Day 17, The Space Between

They met in the pasture past the lake behind Malfoy Manor. Hermione was afraid it was for the last time. Draco prayed to Circe it wasn't.

Lush grass swayed in the summer breeze. The young oak they rendezvoused under cast dappled shade over its thin, gnarled roots, Draco's broom, and the unlikely couple standing _just_ too far apart. Sunlight glinted merrily on the face of the lake, a family of ducks trekking their way from one bank to another.

"My family received the announcement this morning," Hermione finally said, stiffly. She felt herself lean forward, shifting up onto the balls of her feet to stop herself from moving closer. 

Why did Draco have to look so handsome in his tailored, black coat? The high collar and the low tie of his emerald green cravat highlighted the angle of his jaw and sharpness of his chin. Trousers expertly fitted hugged his waist and thighs and the place between that Hermione shouldn't focus on. Movement further up garnered her attention, his fine, blond hair tousling as he removed his tall hat, and Hermione had to remind herself she wasn't meant to fix the unruly strands. Piercing grey eyes watched her the same way the barn cat tracked the songbirds nesting outside her family's house.

"Congratulations on your engagement," she choked out, turning her face away.

Draco shifted his weight, gripping the brim of his hat in both hands as if it would shield his fragile heart. His chest ached with longing as he refrained from stepping closer to Hermione. The bonnet containing most of her tight curls also masked her expression as she tilted her head dejectedly.

"Yes." His voice was stilted, unsure what to say, but he was unwilling to remain silent. "My parents are of the opinion that a union with Miss Greengrass will be… mutually advantageous."

"Of course," Hermione bit out, her ire rising slightly as she thought of Draco's parents' opinions of _her_ family and every disadvantage associated therein. 

"You have to know… Hermione—" Draco's left hand left his hat, reaching out as if he could take her own hand and whisk them away somewhere where social standing and the line of magical blood had no bearing on whom one could love, could marry. When her sharp eyes cut into him, he faltered. How could he tell her that though he was eighteen, though he was a _man_ , he could not disobey his parents' wishes, their _orders_? So he closed his lips and castigated himself for his cowardice.

"Astoria Greengrass is a sweet but sickly woman, Mister Malfoy." Hermione sounded curt and matter-of-fact but not unkind. Draco couldn't tell if they were words of warning or of caution. Perhaps both, as she continued, her tone turning soft, solemn, "I'm sure she'll make you very happy, but don't forget the blue skies or the sunrise or, or, or…"

Hermione couldn't quite force out what she'd meant to say next. _Or all the space between._ She mentally cataloged every centimeter of open air between her gloved hands gripping the loose skirt of her walking dress and his own large, calloused hand still hanging outstretched before them.

A small, warm breeze fluttered through the field, rustling the oak's leaves and unfurling a curl at Hermione's temple, making it tease down her cheek with a featherlike touch. She closed her eyes and imagined it was Draco's gentle fingers, sweetly caressing her as he had once while they sat side by side on the bank of the lake, feeding the ducklings and talking about life and his studies.

Draco's breath caught in his throat. The loose cotton of her dress plastered itself to her legs and torso as the breeze wafted through. The high waistline made her look long and curvy; he tried to keep his eyes from focusing on the shadow between her breasts where her low neckline dipped. She and Astoria couldn't look more different, and Draco knew he preferred Hermione's healthy, tanned glow; voluminous, riotous curls; obstinate, emphatic character; and kind, loyal heart. 

He couldn't help but be amazed that a girl like her could affect a guy like him. She was everything he'd been taught to hate. From her impure magical blood to her sharp tongue to her thirst for knowledge to her lower social standing, he'd been pruned from birth to turn his nose up at her kind. Still, she'd bewitched him to the point he'd asked Theo to brew him an Amortentia antidote - it hadn't worked, of course, as his fixation was entirely inherent, wholly encompassing, and unconditionally enduring.

 _How could they ever be together?_ they both thought, anguishing in the impossibility yet afraid to relinquish the yearning. The space between them seemed to grow and shift to an unbearable distance, but one step closer would surely lead to their ruin. Hermione already ached to take off her gloves and run her bare fingers through his fine hair, a dangerous desire to consider what would follow. A flush rose from her chest, warming her neck and her cheeks.

Draco opened his mouth to tell her he would hold tight to the memories, to every moment they'd shared together. But before he could utter his promise into existence, he wondered if perhaps some things were better left unsaid. Would it not cause only more heartache for them both to acknowledge that their love was not enough to withstand societal pressures? That they wanted each other but could not taste the forbidden fruit.

After several long heartbeats, eyes locked together and watching the other's heart shatter in small increments with every passing moment, Hermione turned away. Tears welled in her eyes, and she hoped Draco hadn’t noticed them. 

She felt certain this would be the last time they met beneath the oak tree by the lake behind Malfoy Manor. Draco prayed to Circe that by some power, some magic, it wouldn't be.

Hermione Apparated away, leaving Draco bereft and still holding his hat clenched in his hands, doing nothing to stem the hurt.

~*~

An old oak tree stood sentry in the pasture behind the lake in the back acreage of Malfoy Manor. When Draco was a boy, he flew his toy broom out to it, took naps under its boughs, and sat on the bank of the lake, feeding the family of ducks that resided there. He dreamt of uncontainable curls and fierce, brown eyes and frustrated words he couldn't quite remember once his eyes opened into consciousness.

After he became Hogwarts aged, those dreams made Draco uncomfortable, reminding him of an unseemly Gryffindor girl with unfortunate parentage. He stopped visiting his little haunt, choosing to throw rocks at the ducks and fly at breakneck speeds around the property.

When the War was over, and his parents began speaking in hushed tones behind his back about marriage and heirs and advantageous alliances, Draco stole back out to his old hideaway. Something about Astoria Greengrass felt _wrong_ in his bones, though he had no real objection to her. An amiable girl, she was quite slim and very pale - paler than her sister and almost as pale as he was - with lank, straight hair, objectively pretty but not eye catching to Draco.

A dream he'd once had, long ago, resurfaced when he napped in the dappled sunlight. When he woke, he could still picture the woman standing just out of reach. Her pale dress had whipped around her ankles with the wind, the high waist secured under her bust with a bold red ribbon. A bonnet unlike one he'd ever seen someone wear had been secured over tight, wayward ringlets trying to escape their confines. She'd had an uncanny resemblance to Hermione Granger, right down to the prim scowl on her face. Her words still rang in his ears.

_I'm sure she'll make you very happy, but don't forget the blue skies or the sunrise or, or, or…_

Sitting in the shade until the sun began to dip below the horizon, Draco’s chest ached like he was missing a vital organ. Gasping for breath, he pondered the unfamiliar feeling.

Then, suddenly, he sprang to his feet, got on his broom, and began a string of the most reckless, bravest things he'd ever done.

He raced home and found his parents in his father's study.

He told them, "Thank you for your concern over my future, but I will not marry Astoria. I am eighteen years old. I will choose who I wish to marry for myself."

He applied for Auror training and shook Harry Potter's hand for the first time.

And finally, he reintroduced himself to Hermione Granger, remembering, from some distant memory, blue skies while sitting side by side and the sunrise reflecting in her eyes. Already, plans for a wedding beneath an old oak tree in a lush pasture on the Malfoy grounds sprung into place in his mind.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! It warms my heart to see everyone's usernames in my kudos emails; it's really given me the push to continue publishing these daily fics, even when I don't really feel like writing. I read every single name, so thank you to all of you for reading, kudosing, and commenting! <3


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